Why do you think most do not support nude work? Do you see a social struggle with the human body?
I think most people do not support my nude work because it is mostly of men. Even my own family do want to look at my male nudes but are often surprised and tell me how good an image is, they just don't want to see a penis. This country still has a lot of puritanical beliefs and values when it comes to nudity. Being naked is not evil or against God, but it causes most people to lust, so it’s a sin in their eyes. Or it brings out there inner homophobia.
People aren’t taught what is art. Even in college, we were told that art is in the eye of the beholder, it’s in their own perception and convictions. For example, we didn’t have to draw the penis on male models in our drawing class because if you did, you were automatically assumed to be gay but at the same time, all details great and small of the female anatomy was drawn. Not even my art teachers would stand up for me when I chastised the guys or girls who refused to draw the penis.
The art world is prudish too, which is so weird. I sometimes shoot in a building that is nothing but artists however, they would be highly upset if they caught me taking pictures of a nude model on the stairs or hallway. It is so amazing to me that artists, who are taught how to look at, critique and judge art can be so put off by the male nude. Up until the time period when photography was invented, you rarely had a female model in the art classes and studios. They only allowed men to model for the male artists. Female nudes did not start becoming popular until the late Victorian era and more so after the turn of the century and World War One. The nudist movement became popular in Europe and in the United States but after World War Two, it was associated with Nazism and so deemed evil. Men like to look at naked women but they don’t want to look at or have women look at nude men. It’s a double standard.
You mentioned working for a while, stopping, and then feeling as if you were a novice in the photography world. What exactly do you feel about yourself and your work at the moment?
I started doing nudes back in the early 1990’s. In 1998, my paternal grandmother was 90 years old, just survived breast cancer and had, had a stroke. My family put extreme pressure on me to give up my life to take care of her since I was not married and at that time didn’t have custody of my son. So, as the dutiful grandson, I gave up my job, my condo, everything, to move across the country and take care of her. I was making more money than I could spend, traveling to Europe and across the country while at the same time had no debt. In the prime of my life, I basically became a pauper, to become a full-time caregiver to my gram. A year later my maternal grandmother fell and hurt her hip and so I also started taking care of her. I was so good at taking care of them, that my gram died at age 97 and the other at 90.
I feel my photography work is good. Not novice by any means. I have formal training after all. I do what is considered Fine Art and if one has had any kind of formal training, they should be able to tell that my work is of high quality. I may do some things that may appear to not be professional on purpose but it’s because of my own personal tastes and for certain reasons. I’ve been told in the past that I was a master of lighting. I know that I am really good at composition. In college, I could critique a photo better than anybody I knew except the teachers. But, because I’ve had and lost studio spaces, decided to work in nature or in abandoned buildings, I feel that I am not stuck in a certain style and consequently have to really know my trade and be skillful. Not too many photographers can do that. I can work in many different styles and techniques. I can be strict on doing just Fine Art Nudes but sometimes I do erotica. I don’t do porn and if people knew the difference between the three it might not cause so many problems … not only with the world of the viewer but also with those moderators in charge of websites who have the power to delete your photo(s) or ban you from the site.
You also mentioned feeling as if most of your contemporaries have moved on to do better things as you are starting over. What exactly is the contrast between your path and theirs, in your eyes?
Just before and during the time period when I was taking care of my grandmothers, there were about 10-15 photographers, myself included, that I knew of, in the US, doing male nudes in a certain style of photography called, chiaroscuro. Now-a-days it’s called Low Key which I think came about because of digital photography. Anyway, chiaroscuro is an art term for the distribution of light and shade or mainly darks in a painting or image. In photography terms, it’s basically the opposite of a silhouette. So, back to the question. Because I was taking care of my grandmothers, my photography, for the most part was put on hold. I did do some work but I didn’t have the time to devote to finding galleries and stores to sell my prints or find publications to print my work and so forth. Those other photographers have gone on to make a name for themselves, whereas, I feel I am still relatively unknown.
I haven’t made and sold calendars or published books of my work and I am not getting paid the big bucks for photography gigs. I still have models constantly cancel at the last minute or are no-shows. I feel that if I were a bigger or known name, that wouldn’t happen. However, at the same time, I am constantly being contacted by models around the US and in fact, around the world who want me to photograph them (and pay for travel, expenses and their fee of course). I just don’t make that kind of money to be able to do that. I don’t have the paying job connections that I used to have. It’s a different world and I’ve fallen behind. I’m trying to catch up but I wonder if it’s worth it since I do Fine Art photography and not fashion or a certain popular style.
Plus I work with all kinds of models, body types and in different styles. My most popular work is with the muscular male models and those with big dicks. Sorry to be blunt but that’s how it is. I refuse to focus only on muscles and dick size just to become popular. I also used to photograph handicap people, mostly wheel-chaired bodybuilders which was looked down upon and considered fetish work in bad taste. However, all of the sudden it’s a popular thing to do, especially if the guy is a disabled veteran.
So, yeah, I feel left behind. I feel as though I am an unacknowledged path finder or co-leader. My work is not acknowledged in photography books whereas most of my peers have been. I don’t mean to sound like a sad sack or someone who is jealous, I'm not. In my eyes, it’s just the facts of life that because my life and photography was put on hold and that the world of photography changed from film to digital, as well as the dawn of the internet, the rules also changed. I was a hold out for film because I didn't believe digital would ever be as good as or better than film. I still don't believe that digital images printed on paper will be able to last as long as a silver halide crystal images on paper but I could be wrong. The other problem I see is how this country wants instant gratification or the next novel thing. For example, I think it is totally disgusting that a 16 year old with no formal training, working in digital and Photoshop, can all of the sudden be one of the biggest names in the New York scene, working with top models and getting published in some of the biggest magazines. It's repulsive to me. Not that the person doesn't have a natural ability but that America would choose to pick someone like him over someone who has spent years training and developing their skill and ability.
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